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Passive acoustic power spectra to monitor and control processing

  • US 4,973,386 A
  • Filed: 06/29/1988
  • Issued: 11/27/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1987
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A process for the non-intrusive passive acoustic detection and measurement of a change in thickness of a wall defining a reactor for processing material, wherein said change in thickness is due to erosion of said wall or material buildup on said wall using wall vibrations produced by a source within said reactor comprising:

  • (a) measuring the wall vibration of said reactor wall and then determining a first power spectrum indicative of the measured wall vibrations as a function of frequency at a time t=0;

    (b) operating said reactor for a time, t;

    (c) measuring the wall vibrations of said reactor wall and then determining a second power spectrum indicative of the measured wall vibrations as a function of frequency at said time, t;

    (d) determining a frequency shift of a resonance on said first spectrum from the corresponding resonance on said second spectrum, and;

    (e) correlating said frequency shift with the change in thickness of the reactor wall.

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